The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-03-03
rur,Ero Anp CHANGED yorks.

THURSDAY, MARCH. 1887.
rHR VETO AND CHANGED VOTES.
The veto Of the pension bill by the
President hiss been generally com.
nented upon by the press aud the
people, and discussed in a manner
that shows that the President by
that courageous act has greatly added
10 the confidence in his integrity
which his previous course had secured
for him. Even many Republican
journals express pleasure that the pau.
per pension bill is not law, and when
Congress came TO vote to overthrow
ths veto, members who had supported
Il were found opposing it. The veto
discussion was very animated one,
and attracted large audience TO the
Capitol. The speech Of Gen. Bragg in
favor OF the veto especially attracted
attention. He called the psuper bill
bubble, got up by claim
agents; declared that the pso-
pie were thankful that the
President had the backbone TO
veto one Of the most fcandalous
bills tver presented for his signature.
1t was not for The real soldiers, but for
ths benefit Ct vultures that desired
60 feed and iatten upon them. II was
n bill nor the laygsrd', coffee coolers
and bounty jun pers"; 1t was passed
b. aid Of votes given in order to catch
the soldier VOTE" and Congress had
TUNED itself into a pension factory.
TIE bill gave $l2 month to the three
months' service men OF 1865, while
200, 1000 men disabled by the service
were receiving from 81 to S. a month.
Among thots who had voted for the
bill, but now supported the veto, was
Gen. Warner, OF Ohio, who exhibited
seopy ola paper edited by Lemon, q
pension agent, and denounced him as
"a scosndrel," who at that moment
was viewing the proceedings from the
gallery. Mr.. 0uth waite, OF Ohio, said
when he voted for the bill he had no
idea Of lite real nature, and he showed
petition in favor Of the bill ON sheet
Of paper having claim agents name
printed at it's head. Mr.Morris N, Mr..
Ssowden, oi Pennsylvania, MrSpriDg
or and Ex. Gov. Cur in also spoke
against the bill they had voted for.
The Democrats who voted for the bill
on its first passage and who changed
their votes to the negative in order to
sustain the veto Of the President were
twenty-eight in number out Of sixty
seven In all, as follows: Messrs. J. J.
Adams, Bacon, Boyle, Burns, Cobb,
Curtin, DouRherty, Eden, Ermen'
trout, Fisher, Gay, o, II. Gibson, Hall,
Hill, Hs'sh, McAdoo, Morrison, 0uth-
waite, Scott, Seymour, Shaw, Sowdep,
Springer, stahlnecker, W. j. Some
Iof Missouri), Viele, 7. B. Ward, A, ].
Warner. The reasons must have been
strong that led to these changes among
men who knew OF those reasons only
after they had voted for the psuper
bill. Some figures given in the Chat
taHooga Tunes will give an idea Of the
nature Of q portion OF those reasons;
Those who pushed through the ar
Ieas Of pensions bill in 1878, were
sure the total cost of Il would
MOI exceed $25,OO0,OO0. Al
ready, in the splco OF little
moce Than eight years, the treasury
has p id On accoul ( Of that bill S2l8,-
600 coo. 1t will require 81 0,000. coo
moe to msat all demands uuder it,
$47S GOO, 900 Ia all. Had the depend
emit pension bill become a law, 1t
would have raised our pension ex-
p-edi uras from $4,000, 600 to $780,.
100000 yssr, the equivalent Of
debt of 5000, OOO, 600 fastened on the
country for at least twenty years. This
sum is great than the d ,bt of Eng
land, and donbie ths to Of our debt
at any time during or since the civil
war" Here We ses enough to explain
the changed votes of m mbers Of
Congress, and we also see what debt
Of gratitude the nation owes to Presi.
dent Cleveland, who, in the face of
She heavy maiorities by which the bill
was passed, stood between the people
and their rack ess Representatives aud
Senators and vetoed 1t. By deeds such
as this, Mr.. Cleveland is endesrlug
himself 10 the hearts of the American
people.